FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Hey boys, get a load of this." The man with the hoodie held his phone up. His friend peered at the screen and smirked. "The idiot and his bitch." A third nodded, tapping a bat on the ground.

"The idiot and his bitch."

'Enjoying the new phone, Kathy?'

'It's nothing like yours, but being able to talk to you everyday is worth every penny.'

'Are you sure they don't mind, do they know now? They count on you, especially now. You should have given me a bit more time to find the money. I don't want them to hate me anymore than they would already.'

'They don't know because I took the other job.'

'Kathy...! They-'

'Don't worry, Ethan, please? The cost was worth it.'

'I just wish I could be with you more often, I don't want to imagine what you put yourself through.'

'Forget about that. I'll see you soon?'

'Wouldn't miss it for the world.'

'You'd trade the world to see me again?'

'What can I say? Only an idiot could love a dog.'

The disgruntled man stepped outside into the crisp winter air. Embedded low against a pale blue canvas, the sun staved off the worst of the chill. A third man sitting in a lawn chair sharpening a switchblade looked up as his friends passed.

"You get the text?" the man said, having drawn up his hood to block out the cold. Click. They stood up and pocketed the knife, nodding with a smile. All four set off without another word. Their footsteps fell heavy on the icy pavement.

'I wish you weren't so far away.'

'Kathy, you can't control things like that, I hate to say it but I'm glad your kind - sorry - you've got your own neighbourhood where you're safer, for what it's worth.'

'It's not all that safe here either way. Just harder to get harassed in broad daylight.'

'Never mind, let's talk about where we're meeting.'

'Atop the hill, silly! If we get there quickly, the snow shouldn't melt too much and the city would look so beautiful.'

'You're not worried about getting caught?'

'Ethan, we've come this far. We can't let fear stop us from enjoying life. Besides, my fur will blend in with the snow!'

'Of course you would say that, Kathy. You're right. I can't wait to hold that snow white fur in my arms, and I promise I'll never let anything come between us.'

'I wouldn't let them take that away from me either.'

Slowly, the roads turned to shattered concrete, then gravel. They didn't have anything to hide, and even if they wanted to, the sounds of their approach rang out clearly in the chilled air. Wary eyes stalked the progress of the four humans strolling by.

Now garbed in a dark jacket, the friend piped up, voice casual. "Lucky dogs have fur or else they'd freeze to death in this dump." The hooded man chuckled as the others laughed humorlessly. Though it was past midday, the street was empty.

"There's the house."

"Should we knock?" the friend asked, glancing, bored, at a small tail vanishing behind a house to their left.

"No. They already know we're here," the hooded man gestured to the man holding the bat. He raised it eagerly his breath condencensed in the air.

'It's pretty cold out, you're doing good, right?'

'I've got a coat over my fur, yes, no need to worry about me. Besides, I enjoy the cool weather.'

'I think it's beginning to snow. Guess you'll get your scenic view afterall.'

'What, don't you like the view too?'

'It's not bad, but you're prettier by far.'

'Please, Ethan! You're so cheesy.'

'What can I say but the truth?'

...

'Hey Ethan...'

'What is it, Kathy?'

'Thank you, that really means a lot.'

'Like I said, it's the truth.'

'You really like the way I look?'

'Kathy. I love the way your ears perk when you see me. I love how soft and warm your fur is. I love your sparkling eyes. But I love you beyond that. I love that you're excited to see me. I love that your heart is soft and warm. I love the sparkle of your personality. I love everything about you and if they can't look past their own prejudice then it's their loss.'

'You know, always being surrounded by people who others who speak enough with just their eyes, those words mean everything to me, Ethan.'

'They're the idiots if they can't see that.'

"Useless," the hooded leader muttered as the three followed him over the shattered debris on the floor and out of the home. It was now deathly silent, so the quiet pat on the ground caught the friend's attention. This time he caught a glimpse of the wide eyes belonging to the owner of the tail he noticed before.

"Should we do anything about the animal?" he asked, jabbing a thumb at the empty front doorway as the little canine was pulled out of sight.

"No." The hooded man looked down at his phone, then he grinned. "We didn't need it anyway, let's get outta here."

As they departed, the bat-wielding man was stopped by the man with the knife, whose handle was held out, catching the yellowing sun's rays.

"Leave some action for me next time, hey?"

'I'm almost there, at the bottom of the steps. Should I wait for you?'

'No, go ahead, I've got a bit longer to go. Some of us don't get to use public transit.'

'Aw, don't pull that card on me, Kathy! I'll come to you if you'd like.'

'I'm joking, Ethan! I'll meet you at the top. Besides, I have been on a bus before, when my brother got sick.'

'They let you on?'

'Amazing how far a little money can go. Well, a lot, but small meals for a week is better than losing my brother.'

'Kathy, you're getting a lot further into human neighbourhood, please be careful. Even if you had money-'

'Like I said, don't worry, it's dark enough that no one will notice, I'll be fine.'

'I promise, no one will ever find out about us.'

'Ethan-'

"They're headed there?" the friend asked, skeptically. "They really don't care, do they?"

"They will."

'- I don't want us to be a secret.'

'What are you talking about? If people found out about us... think about your family!'

'We can go somewhere else, somewhere where we can be safe! I'm talking about the town out west.'

'I don't know, Kathy, how can you just drop everything for me? Besides, think of the cost.'

'I know, but would you do it, if we could cover the costs? Go where we're accepted? Give it time. The world can change, Ethan.'

'... Sure, Kathy. Anything to make you happy. If you believe, I'll believe. Any and everything for you. We'll find a way, together.'

'That's a relief to hear. Thank you so much, Ethan.'

'Everything will be fine in the end, I promise it will.'

'I'm excited! At the bottom of the steps, now, see you real soon.'

'Watch your step! See you soon.'

Golden rays coloured the snowy trees as the sun dipped lower. All but the hooded man shivered as warmth continued to sink away into the frigid earth.

"There it is, the idiot and his bitch's rendezvous."

"I think I see something," the friend said, pulling his jacket closer, against the chill. The bat clacked as its wielder hoisted it onto his shoulder. A click followed as the other snapped out the blade. "We'll give that dog a leash soon enough."

---

Ethan turned to look at the steps, shielding his eyes from the sun's glittering rays bouncing off the snow like a million diamonds as he heard the patter of footsteps.

"Kathy!" The expression on her face lit up into a joyous pant as she rushed to meet him.

"Ethan, it's so good to see you."

The two embraced, the low temperature irrelevant between the warmth the two emanated.

"Every moment with you is the happiest moment of my life," Ethan said, trailing his hand across the soft fur behind Kathy's ears.

"Being cheesy again, but I couldn't agree more." Kathy giggled, burying her head against Ethan's chest.

"Come on, let's enjoy the view," Kathy yipped excitedly, pulling Ethan along to the bench, caked with snow.

"Here, you can sit on me," Ethan offered, plopping onto the cold bench. Kathy sat atop his lap as he encircled his arms around her.

"Ethan, you're shivering. Maybe you're the one who needs to worry about the cold."

"No, I'm alright."

For a moment the two were silent, blissfully watching as sunlight scattered across the landscape below them. Their breaths formed clouds of ice, untouched by wind.

"You know, it's easy to forget what I'm looking at," Kathy whispered, staring at the mansions.

"Like you said, don't worry about it."

"I wish this moment could last forever."

"Maybe it can."

"Maybe!"

Hands glided through the warm velvety fur, stroking with admiration and devotion. It smoothed the stray hairs, combing through as easily as the metal point splitting flesh. The blank white snow splattered crimson as Katy screamed out.

"No!" Ethan yelled, holding onto her tighter. "Everything will be alright, please, don't cry."

The furred woman was in the snow now, a dark patch tainting both her white fur and the snow around her.

"You'll be alright, I promise," Ethan said through sobs as he withdrew the knife into the frigid air, steam rising off its bloodied blade. "No one can ever hurt you again, just like I - I promised." Shaking, Ethan stared as the sparkle in Kathy's eyes faded. She looked just like the snow.

With a screaming cry, Ethan thrust the blade into his own chest.

"Why? I'm so sorry. Only an idiot could love a human." As he slumped down next to her, his last sight was Kathy's hand, holding small slips of paper, white as snow.

---

"God," the hooded leader said, eying the bloody scene before him. Two corpses laid on the ground, blood since crusted and bodies since cooled in the growing darkness.

"Hmph, seems about right, the idiot. Took out the bitch but died to it," the one with the knife scoffed.

"Let's lootem," the friend suggested, looking greedily at the man's phone which had slipped out of his pocket.

"Nah, the bitch has a piece of junk," the bat-wielder said, flinging it down the hill.

"What's this?" the friend pulled the tickets from the girls cold fingers. "Never mind. Bus tickets to that really progressive trash city."

"Hey, got a light?" the hooded leader asked. The knifed man pulled out a butane lighter and handed it to him. Taking the tickets from his friend, the man lit a flame below them until the bottom caught fire, turning to a black char.

"Only an idiot could love a dog," he stated, tossing the burning tickets onto the bodies.